Vine picking!

Now in late September, early October it's vine picking time in Sardinia.

In Cuglieri most of the families has their own vineyard, and they make their own wine for the annual consumption. On the day of the picking you invite family and friends to work together in the morning, then there's a big lunch party afterward so it values the sweat!! If you don't have anything to do at the weekend it's just to put some garden scissors in your pocket and look for which vineyard that's next on the list to pick! ;)

Nicola Bendo, one of our local vine producers!

When all the grapes are picked they are transported to the family vine cellar where they all get milled down into big tubs (the whole cluster) then you leave it like that to ferment for a couple of days. Without adding anything, the vine contains a natural yeast fungus that together with the fruit sugar starts it of by its own! Then you filter and press the vine mass and put the juice into barrels to continue the fermentation, in Christmastime the vine will be ready to drink.... :P